Clamshell bucket



June28, 1932. H. w. BOTTEN CLAMSHELL BUCKET Filed May 23. 1929 2 Sheets$heet 1 Aim Ry M o rrzA/ ATTORNEYS June 28, 1932- H, w. BOTTEN CLAMSHELL BUCKET Filed May 25, 9 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented June 28, 1932 UNITED STATES HENRY w. BOTTEN,

PATENT OFFICE OF LAKEWOOII OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE OWEN BUCKET COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO CLAMSHELL BUCKET Application filed May 23,

This invention relates to clamshell buckets, such as are used'for hoisting and dumping various materials, including sand, gravel, rock or the like, and even softer materials 5 of various kinds.

One object of the invention is to provide a clamshell bucket of the type in which the closing mechanism includes an upper member or head and a lower member or counterweight carrying closing sheaves, the bucket members being pivotally connected to the counterweight and the pivots thereof being safeguarded against abrasion by the use of washers or other closing members for thepivotal joints arranged to prevent access of abrading material, such as sand, rock or the like, to the bearing surfaces, and more particularly, by the provision of a tortuous passage thereto.

A further object of the invention is to provide a digging bucket provided with digging teeth of any of the usual types and also with suitable means adapted to prevent entrance I of the digging teeth into the bottom of the container being unloaded, such as a boat or car, to thereby prevent ripping the deck or floor thereof by the digging teeth, but which at the same time affords full effect to the digging teeth from the top of the pile down to the zone where the supporting surface is uncovered and the clean-up operation begins. Further objects of the invention are in part obvious and in part will appear more in detail hereinafter. 35 In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an open bucket; Fig. 2 is a detail elevation of a runner; Fig. 3 is an edge view thereof from the left in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a bottom view thereof; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the closed bucket; and Fig. 6 is a sectional plan view on the line 66, Fig. 5.

The bucket shown in the drawings comprises an upper member or head 1 and a lower member or counterweight 2 of usual form and respectively carrying upper and lower blocks 3, 4 provided with sheaves or pulleys 5 usually inclined to each other to provide a fair lead and connected by the closing cable 6. The two bucket members 7 are provided 50 with arms 8 by which they are pivotally 1929. Serial No. 365,357.

mounted upon a shaft 9 passing through the counterweight 2, while the outer edges of the buckets are connected by links 10 to the head 1.

In these buckets there is considerable wear between the pivotal connections of the bucket members and the. shaft 9, due to the fact that the bucket more or less penetrates the load, and sand, grit or other abrading material works its way into the joints or crevices be tween the arms 8 and between said arms and the counterweight 2 and wears the bearing surfaces at the shaft 9. In the present invention means is provided for safeguarding these bearing surfaces against wear, for which purpose, as shown in Fig. 6, there is interposed between each pair of arms 8 and between each of the inner arms 8 and the adjacent end wall of the counterweight 2, a washer 11, the arms and counterweight being annularly recessed, as at 12, so that each washer rests or fits within annular recesses in two members, to wit, two arms or the arm and the counterweight between which it is located. The washers 11 surround the shaft 7.3 9 and may turn upon it, although that is not essential, and more or less close the open joints or crevices ordinarily leading to the bearing surfaces at shaft 9 and form a tortuous passage which tends to prevent or 1 very materially reduce access of abrading material to the bearing surfaces, wear on which is thereby very materially reduced.

A similar arrangement can be used to protect the joints between adjacent pulleys or sheaves in the closing mechanism, where the arrangement is similar to that shown in Fig. 6, because the sheaves are nested in close relation to each other upon a common shaft and are protected by interposed washers in the same manneras the arms and counterweight are guarded in Fig. 6.

The bucket members 7 have their meeting edges provided with suitable digging teeth 15 of any desired form or construction, which in the present arrangement are bifurcated to straddle the edges of the bucket members and which teeth interlace like the interlaced fingers of two hands when the bucketmembers meet in closed position. Such teeth are of material advantages in breaking or opening up a load and assisting in penetration of the bucket members in to a load, but when the load is being removed from the deck of a boat or from a railway car or other wooden support, for example, said teeth frequently dig into and destroy the wooden supporting surface during the cleanup operation. From the standpoint of the major portion of the entire duty, it is therefore desirable'to' use such teetn, but a good clean-up operation dictates their omission. poses satisfactorily I have provided this bucket with means for preventing access of the teeth to supporting surfaces such as the deck of-a boat or the floor of a car. The means shown comprises runners or tusk-like members attached to the bucket members and so mounted as to protrude to a position in which their extremities or outer portions are beyond and below the zone of the cutting teeth in both open and closing positions of the bucket. Therefore, if the bucket is dropped in open position upon a bare supporting surface, such as a wooden deck, it rides upon the runners and the teeth do not contact with the surface, and, moreover, if the bucket is closed while in such position the runners'still ride upon th surface and the teeth do not come into contact with it.

In the arrangement shown each end of each bucket member is provided with a tusk -or runner 16, which may be riveted'or otherwise secured to it and which has itsouter extremity in the form of a rounded or relatively wide blunt surface 17 which is beyond or below the bottom of thebucket when the latter is closed, and is likewise beyond and below the bucket edge, or, more accurately, the ends of the digging teeth, when the bucket is open, and is likewise below the teeth in all intermediate positions. The four tusks or runners therefore prevent the teeth from attacking the underlying surface.

The specific tusks or runners shown are provided on their inner edges with digging teeth 18 and the castings are so formed and arranged that when the bucket is closed the side edges 19 of the two members do not quite meet and the gap between them is more or less closed by the tusks, which liein overlapping relation, as in Fig. 2. The teeth 18 also assist in the digging operation and in causing the bucket to penetrate the'load.

but'i'f' occasionarises for preventing injury to To serve both pur an underlying surface the teeth are removed when there is danger of the bucket engaging said surface, as during the clean-up operation.

The tusks are, of course, made in rights and lefts'tofit "theztwo ends of the bucket members-,--and-as shown are bifurcated at 23 to straddle or embrace the edges of the bucket members where they are secured thereto.

The arrangement described, including the readily removable supplemental teeth, supplies-a bucket which is quite suitable for general use in many ways, and whenever an underlying surface is'to be safeguarded the tusks or runners, used as described, serve an additional purpose.

What I claim is:

1. A hoisting bucket, comprising head and counterweight members, bucketmembers suspended from the head member, a shaft carried by the counterweight member, said adjacent eyes and in recesses in adjacent eyes and counterweight ends, for providlng a tortuous passage to the bearing surfaces.

3. In a hoisting bucket, the combmation of a bucket member and a supporting member therefor said members havin alined 0 em 7 ings, a shaft passing through said openings, and a washer protector lying between said members and sleeved on the shaft and entering annular recesses on said members surrounding said shaft.

In testimony whereof I hereby aiiix my signature.

HENRY W. BOTTEN. 

